Valve.



N. J. K-EPPLB.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1913. 1,096,431 Patented May 12,1914.

Fi l. 0" El f Pi i 74 7 13 7 9 3 I 265 Z3 3 i3 \A/iTNEl'IJilEi I INVENTCIH Jaw/ 1 ,W /I/bv-VM ATTURNEYEJ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS J. KEPPLE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NICHOLAS J. KEPPLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a valve which can be readily assembled so as to operate either as an automatic drain cock or as a check valve.

Ordinarily the drain cocks which are applied to the steam cylinders of locomotives, the air cylinders of brake mechanisms or riggings and other places are usually opened at intervals by hand for the purpose of drawing off the water of condensation in the,

chambers or spaces with which the drain cock is connected. This hand operation is not only objectionable because it is sometimes forgotten or neglected and therefore not only permits an accumulation of liquid and sediment in said chambers, cylinders or spaces, but it also is liable to result in clogging of the drain cock by this sediment. In drain cocks of this character as heretofore constructed the same when closed by the pressure medium to which they are exposed would be liable to tip or cook to one side and thereby result in leakage past the valve.

It is-the object of this invention to produce a valve which can be utilized as an automatic drain cock and which when relieved from pressure is automatically opened to drain the space or chamber with which the same is connected and which when acted upon by the pressure medium will be reliably engaged with its seat so as ,to effectually close the valve and prevent leakage.

A furtherobject of this invention is to so construct this valve seat that the same may be assembled either as an automatic drain cock and also as a check valve.

In order to.prevent the valve from leaking when used either as a drain cock or a check valve means are provided for prolperly guiding the plug or stopper of tie 'valveas it moves toward the seat on the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 12, 1913.

Patented May 12, 1914. Serial No. 766,927.

structing the rear end of the plug or stopper in the form of a cup and providing the same with radial passages leading from the bore of the cup to the periphery of the stopper so that any pressure applied to the valve stopper at the back end thereof will cause the valve stopper to be acted upon quickly and effectively -formoving the stopper promptly against its seat and holding the same reliably and perfectly in engagement therewith.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved valve organized as an automatic drain cock and havin its inlet end connected with the cylinder 0 a steam engine orother chamber or space subjected to internal pressure of steam, air or other pressure medium. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a valve embodying my invention and organized to operate as a check. valve. Figs. 3 and t are transverse sections in the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference indicate eta-responding parts throughout the several views.

The casing or body of my improved valve Inav be variouslv constructed to suit the particular purpose for which the same is designed to be used and the construction shown in the drawings is therefore to be understood as showing only oneform as an example of one way in which this valve body or casing may be constructed. As shown in the drawings, the valve body or casing comprises two sections 1, 2 which are provided at their outercxtremities with nip ples 3. 4, respectively, while their inner opposing ends are detachably connected. This detachable connection between these two casing sections preferably consists of an external screw thread 5 formed on the reduced inner end of the section 2 and engaging with an internal screw thread 6 on the enlarged inner end. of the section 1 of the casing.

lVithin the casing the same is provided with a valve seat 7, preferably of conical form and arranged on the inner end of the outer casing section, and on opposite sides of the valve seat the casing is provided with front and rear conduits which together form the passageway of the valve. The front conduit is formcdiu the outer or front casing section and comprises an inner section 8 of larger diameter forming a front guidcway section 8 and forming an inwardly facing shoulder 10 between the inner and outer condult sections 8 and i). The rear conduit within the rear section 1 of the valve casing comprises an outer section 11 of-compara tively small diameter, an inner-section 12 of comparatively large diameter, an intermediate tubular guide section 13 arranged between the small outer section and the large inner section and having a diameter which is smaller than the large section 12 but greater than the diameter of the small section 11, and an inwardly facing counter bore or shoulder 1 formed in the conduit of the section 1 between the small conduit section 11 and the guide section 13 thereof.

Within the, casing is arranged the stopper or plu of the valve which is movable longitudina 1y therein and provided at its rear endwith an enlarged part or stem 15 which is of cylindrical form on its periphery and a front reduced part or stem 16 at its front end which is provided with longitudinal grooves-17 on its exterior so that it is fluted or star-shaped in cross section. The enlarged cylindrical rear stem of the valve stopper or plug is guided at its outer end in the rear cjlindricalguideway of the casing section 1 and'the reduced front stem of the valve stopper at the guided in the enlarged inner section 8-- of the conduit in the casing section 2.- Between the enlarged and reduced parts ofthe valve stopper the-same is provided with a valve face 18 preferably of conical form which is adapted to be engaged with or disengaged fromthe seat 7 on the casing section 2 for the plurpose either of closing the passage throug the valve or opening the same. Formed in the outer end of the enlarged part of the valve stopper is a recess or cavity 19 which in effect converts this end of the valve stopper into a cup. N ear the bottom of this cup one or more radial ports or passageways 20 extend r cm the bore of the cup to the periphery 0; .ie en larged part of the stopper,-the o r these ports opening the section 12 of the conduit in the tion 1.

When this valve is to he used matic drain cock for air 5 brake riggings, the work ng c .i- L steam engines or the like, n rear casing section is nnected joint or otherwise with pressure cylinder chain er or .e to communicate'with inter" andthe valve stopper is sh thwise in the casing and yieldingiy held in a position in which its valve race is moved away from the valve seat of the casing and the front end thereof is with a stop shoulder 22 at the outer end of the rear cylindrical guideway in the casing section 1, as shown in Fig. 1. The preferred device for thus yieldingly holding the valve stopper in its open position, shown in Fig. 1, c0nsists of a coil spring 23arranged within the enlarged inner part or section of the front conduit in the casing section 2 and engaging its outer end with the shoulder 10 of this casing section While its inner end engages with a shoulder 24 at the front end of the reduced partof the valve stop- When the pressure of the steam, air or other medium in the cylinder or chamber 21 is cut oil the spring 23 )ushes the valve stopper-inwardly against t e stop shoulder. 22 and moves its face away from the valve 1 seat of the casing, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the valveis opened. In this position of the valve any water or liquidof condensation within the cylinder or chamber passes outwardly through the narrow conduit section 11 and into the cup-shaped recess of the valve stopper, thence laterally outward through the radial ports thereof andinto the enlarged part 12 of the rear conduit, thence between the face of the valve stopper and thevalve seat and thence outwardly through the sections 8 and 9 of the frontconduit. From the last mentioned conduit the liquid drained off from the cylinderv or chamber may be conducted to the space externally of the valve or the same may be conducted by a suitable tube, pipe or hose into a receptacle provided for that purpose. It is, however, immaterial what disposition is made of the liquid of condensation after the same passes through the drain cock. The instant pressure is roduced in the cylinder or chamber by admitting the steam, compressed air or other pressure medium thereto this medium upon-engaging with the cup-shaped rear stem of the valve stopper pushes the latter forwardly or outwardly against the resistance ofthe spring 23 and holds the face of the valve stopper against the seat on the casing, thereby closingthe re and preventing the escape of the pressure medium. As the valve stopper moves ou ward toward its seat on the'ca'sing its me ernent is controlled so that the same is prevented from tipping or becoming cocked laterally which otherwise would prevent'its engaging uniformly and properly with its companion seat for shutting off the escape of the pressure medium. Such tilting or of the stopper is positively preventby engagement of the periphery of the V ged part or rear stem with the rear wav on the section 1 of the casing and ngagement of the opposite reduced part ont stem of the valve stopper with the guideway at the conduit of section 2 of the casing. By this means both ends of the valve stopper are positively guided and the latter is held in perfect alinement with its seat so that the same cannot become dis placed relatively thereto but is always comelled to engage the same properly for closing the valve, thereby effectually preventing leakage.

When it is desired to use this valve as a check valve exactly the same parts of the valve are used as when the same is organized for use as a drain cock the only difl'erence being that the spring 23 is removed from the position between the front stem of the valve stopper and the casing section 2 where it is shown in Fig. 1 and placed in the other section 1 of the casing and the rear stem of the valve stopper so that one end of this spring bears against the bottomof the cup or cavity and its opposite end bears against the shoulder 14 of the casing section 1, as shown in Fig. 2. In this position of the parts the valve stopper is yieldingly held by the spring 23 in engagement with the valve seat, whereby liquid, air or gas entering under pressure through the nipple 9 ,of the front casing section will force the valve stopper away from its seat and pass successively throughthe enlarged conduit section 12, ports 20, cavity 19 and conduit section 11 and escape from the rear end of the valve casing. If, however, a back pressure occurs in a direction opposite to the normal flow of the pressure medium through the casing the spring 23 immediately closes the valve stopper and prevents this pressure medium from passing backwardly through the casing.

It will now be apparent that in both organizations of my improved valve when used as a drain cock, as shown in Fig. 1, or

when used as a check valve, as shown in Fig. 2, the valve stopper is guided positively and reliably at both of its ends, whereby the same is positively held in a position in which it will always move squarely into engagement with its seat and shut off the flow of air, gas, liquid or other medium through the same. Owing tothe simplicity of the construction of this valve the same can be produced at comparatively low cost. Furthermore, the same contains but few parts and is not liable to get out of order under the severest usage to which the same may be put while in operation.v

I claim as my invention:

A valve comprising a body having a central enlarged valve chamber, a tubular guideway of comparatively large diameter opening into one end of the valve chamber, a tubular guideway of comparatively small diameter opening into the other end of the valve chamber, an inwardly facing valve seat arranged between the inner end of said small diameter guideway and said valve chamber, inwardly facing internal shoulders arranged at the outer ends of said small diameter. and large diameter guideways, and tubular nipples which communicate with the outer ends of said guideways and each of which is of smaller diameter than the guideway with which it communicates, a valve stopper having a part oflarge diameter engaging with said guideway of large diameter and adapted to engage its outer end with the shoulder at the outer end of said large diameter guideway, a part of small diameter adapted to engagevwith said guideway of small diameter, a valve face between said large and small parts and adapted to engage said valve seat, a cavity arranged in said part of large diameter and extending inwardly from the outer end thereof, and ports formed in said art of large diameter and extending from t 1e bore of said cavity to the periphery of said part of large diameter within said valve chamber, and a spring adapted to be arranged between either end of said valve stopper and one or the other of said internal shoulders of said valve body, whereby said elements may be used either as a check valve or an automatic drain cock.

Witness my hand this 8th day of May.

NICHOLAS J. KEPPLE. Witnesses:

CHARLES C. Sonorr, RAYMOND A. Wrasse. 

